PH cagers shift focus on SKorea
JAKARTA: Forget about that “lost opportunity,” coach Yeng Guiao is now focusing on an expected make or break showdown with South Korea on Monday.
If you believe what everybody has said after the country’s disappointing 82-80 loss to China on Tuesday, expect the Nationals to play much wiser—and with more ferocity—in their knockout match with the Koreans next week.
Guiao and his coaching staff are bracing for a different battle.
“Korea has a different system. Hindi sila nagri-rely sa malalaki nila,” Guiao said. “They rely on ball movement. We have to prepare for their quickness.”
Not only that. The Filipinos must also prepare for the things that former PBA import Ricardo Ratliffe can provide for the Koreans as their naturalized player.
he Philippines’ Jordan Clarkson goes for the basket against China in their men’s basketball preliminary Group D game between China and the Philippines during the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta. AFP PHOTO
But Guiao is unfazed.
“Our familiarity with Ratliffe will save us some time on the scouting report, but Korea is more than Ratliffe. Korea is more of a team game. They move the ball around. If you lose your focus, if you lose your patience, that’s the time you break down on defense. I guess those are the things that we have to plan against Korea,” Guiao said.
Guiao believes the team’s gutsy performance against China should be an indication of their chances in the medal round even though the team has had its shares of heartbreaking experiences against the Koreans.
“If we play with the same effort just like what we’ve shown against China, tingin ko kaya natin ang Korea,” Guiao added.
The Nationals should be reminded that the Koreans had inflicted so many heartaches to the country—notably in the Asian Games.
In the 1986 Asian Games in Seoul, the Philippines was deprived of a chance to face China for the gold medal when a controversial charging foul was called against Allan Caidic.
That gave the Koreans to win.
Fast forward to 2002. Lee Sang Min buried his only three-point shot in the closing seconds of the game that propelled Korea to an intense win over the Jong Uichico-coached national squad.
After breaking the Korean curse in the 2013 FIBA Asia Championship in Manila, the two teams that qualified from the Asian region met again in the World Cup a year later and the Koreans, led by TJ Moon, pulled off a come-from-behind victory over the Filipinos.
History speaks and Guiao and his troops are here to make one.
Guiao slams ref choice
Guiao said a referee from “Chinese territory” should not have officiated his side’s narrow loss to China at the Asian Games, querying the number of fouls his side was awarded.
A Philippines side bolstered by newly arrived NBA star Jordan Clarkson were pipped 82-80 in Tuesday’s thrilling match after China scored two free throws awarded by the Hong Kong referee with just 13 seconds left.
“They let a Hong Kong referee, which is also Chinese territory, referee against us,” said Guiao. “And they gave them 39 free throws and they gave us only 15, no?”
“So I thought somebody from Hong Kong which is controlled by China should not referee a China game,” Guaio told ABS-CBN on Wednesday, referring to chief official Yuen Chun Yip.
Hong Kong is a semi-autonomous Special Administrative Region of China, but competes separately at major sports events including the Olympics and Asian Games.
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